The idea of a basic income—a minimum income provided to all citizens simply for being alive—has gained popularity in recent years thanks to a combination of chronic underemployment and automation. However, it is by no means a new idea. In fact, the concept of basic income stretches all the way back to the 1500s.

The Original Concept

Way back in 1516, Thomas More wrote a book called “Utopia.” This book was both a novel and a political statement, framing a story around an island with what he considered the ideal cultural, political, and religious traditions. At one point, the main character, a traveler named Raphael Nonsenso, recounts a conversation he had about theft and the idea of a basic income. He argues that a basic income would be the best way to fight thievery, saying:

“No penalty on earth will stop people from stealing, if it is their only way of getting food.
It would be far more to the point to provide everyone with some means of livelihood”

Thomas More wasn’t the only person thinking about this during the 16th century. In 1525, Johannes Ludovicus Vives, an influential humanist and scholar, was asked to help the government of Dutch city, Bruges, create a plan for alleviating poverty. He created the first plan for a basic income, and suggested they also create a variety of training programs for the unskilled poor. Johannes’ suggestions weren’t taken immediately by the Bruges government, but they heavily influenced social programs created in England and the German Empire during the 1530s.

This early pilot project, called “Mincome,” was dropped when the Conservative government took federal power in 1979, and all related research was abandoned.

Consider the following scenario: The world’s governments are weak and no longer control their territories. Large corporations now rule the world. Whole classes of people are removed from the work force and replaced by new technologies. Low skilled labour and entry level jobs are filled by robots and other machines. Large swaths of the human population are now essentially OBSOLETE.

Ever since the old days, way back in good-old mother England, humans have been predicting the “rise of the machines.” We’ve constantly spoken of a dystopian future. One where human labour is rendered worthless, as technologies perform our jobs faster, more efficiently, for longer hours, and much cheaper too. After all, machines won’t need to be paid a wage.

Once upon a time in England…

18th century England was a purer, simpler time. Work was subcontracted out and goods were produced locally in households known as the “domestic system” or the “putting-out system.” Women’s skills in handicrafts were absolutely vital for everyday life, as they were responsible for producing goods such as clothes.

“It seems counter intuitive-shouldn’t governments want to ensure that their people remain employed and paying taxes? So I ask you: who do these weak governments really serve?”

If you’ve been paying attention to political conversations on the changing nature of work, you’ve probably heard of the term basic income. You may even have a simple understanding of what it is: a baseline income that every single person earns just for being alive. Additionally, you may even know that basic income is most commonly proposed as a way to solve mass unemployment caused by automation.

Well, it’s all true, but there are other benefits of basic income most people haven’t considered. Even fewer people have taken the time to think how it would be structured. So let’s delve deeper into the concept and see what we can find—starting with the benefits.

The benefits of basic income for the underemployed

Chronic underemployment brings with it all kinds of stress. It means constantly counting every dollar, and an endless hunt for better work. It means putting off big family decisions, like getting married and having kids. It means never studying your passion, because that degree is just too expensive and you don’t want to spend the rest of your life paying off student loans.

A basic income, at the most commonly suggested rate of 175% of the poverty line, would fix all of that. The underemployed wouldn’t need to find a second or third job to be able to pay the rent. They could spend that time building a new skill set for an industry that has higher employment prospects.

Basic income is especially powerful for those working for temp agencies or seasonal industries. It gives them something to fall back on between jobs.

In the end, it all comes down to one thing: no matter how hard it is for the underemployed person to find steady work, basic income would make it easy for them to maintain a dignified lifestyle. That should be a human right.

“Basic income is a great way to reduce prejudice. It would eliminate the existing welfare system, and all the stigma that comes with it, by making life above the poverty line a human right.”

As well as being the title, plot, and punchline of a hit TV show (that turned out to be a one season wonder), “outsourced” also happens to be a word that conjures up mixed emotions amongst people in the western world. “Outsourced” (the show) followed a plot which all people in the 21st century are now familiar with: a company wishes to increase profitability by a slight margin, so they proceed to fire all their employees and send their call center, as well as its young manager, offshore to India. Cultures collide and hilarity ensues.

On the one hand, outsourcing is a means to great business benefits; foremost of which are cost advantages. But on the other hand, outsourcing is a near death sentence for many employees trying to grasp on to whatever piece of real-estate is left in an ever shrinking and ever decreasing job market. Let us explore together what outsourcing is exactly, and what it means for we job seekers who are all living the ‘underemployed life.’

The history and the theory

It may come as a surprise that although outsourcing wasn’t formally identified as a business strategy until 1989, it is not a new phenomenon. Early examples of outsourcing include the use of freelance mercenaries (a practice that is as old as war itself), and the shipping and trade services offered by the Venetians to foreign nations during the height of their empire. So although it has existed in various forms, and to meet various needs throughout history, outsourcing today exists by the grace of two economic theories: “free market” and “free trade.”

Free market is the theory and practice that the economic landscape should operate without any government intervention. It is the belief that the value of goods and services should be wholly dictated by the open market and the consumer, via the natural laws of supply and demand.

Free trade is an international economic policy where governments do not place restrictions, taxes, or tariffs on the import of foreign goods and labour. The result being a far larger market place in which to trade and do business, a much larger pool of human capital, and a greater potential for economic growth.

“I have seen with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears, the brainstorming and planning stages behind outsourcing. It was driven by nothing but greed.”

Today’s students are often described as lazy and entitled. They aren’t getting jobs after school for the same reason millennials have been told they aren’t getting full time jobs: because they’re not willing or able to do the hard work. If they were only willing to put aside their pride, they would surely find a part time job, or so the narrative goes.

This popular story simply isn’t true. Today’s students might have more distractions than students from other eras, but they’re just as willing to work hard as previous generations did. The problem with youth employment isn’t about the youth, it’s about the jobs—more accurately, it’s about an unprecedented level of competition for those jobs.

Here’s an alarming fact-Out of 140,000 new jobs created in Canada between October 2015 and October 2016, 124,000 of those jobs were part time. This means that except for the people actually qualified for the 26,000 full time jobs—most of which were in construction or highly specialized fields like education and natural resources—everyone is competing for the same part time jobs. To make matters worse, wage growth stagnation in Canada has many full time workers looking for side jobs to supplement their income.

“Young people often have to do three or four internships before they can get a decent job.”

I was a child of about nine, when one night my father overheard me talking in my sleep. It was so peculiar, he told me afterward. You were talking about getting a job, and you seemed quite anxious. I tried to encourage you to speak more on the subject, but you weren’t responsive.

I don’t remember the dream, but I’ve often thought back to that conversation with my father. It’s occurred to me that my nine-year-old self − who was completely unconcerned with employment in her waking life – may have slipped out of time and into her future as a chronically underemployed person – a person who lacked the privilege of thinking about much else beyond employment.

I graduated from university into a recession and have been underemployed ever since. In addition to this, I had been a magazine journalism major, and my entire field was about to dissolve. In addition to that, I soon discovered my personal politics had not set me up to fit easily into any for-profit company. For the 23 years since, I’ve been underemployed, primarily as an independent contractor. As such, and along with many others at this time, I’ve developed a perspective on life heavily influenced by underemployment.

“Since then, I’ve noticed the work that tends to bring me the greatest financial reward is work I’m not formally trained to do. It’s as if this “outside of the society” fingerprint impacts me at the multilevel.”

I just watched Donald Trump win the U.S. election. As Trump delivered his speech on how he would bring jobs back to Americans, it made me wonder how his presidency will affect business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

BPO companies such as call centers are big business in countries like the Philippines and India. This industry provides more than a million jobs to Filipinos, and is expected to bring in revenues topping $22 billion by the end of the year.

I live in the Philippines and have worked for a number of BPO companies. They weren’t glamorous positions, but they provided a means for people like me to earn a decent monthly wage. This is regardless of one’s educational background or expertise. It’s an industry that doesn’t discriminate due to age or inexperience, at least not as much as other fields.

“It remains to be seen whether Trump stays true to his word and implements policies discouraging companies from outsourcing work.”

I have a college diploma in Multimedia Graphic Design, and have been freelancing as a photographer since 2008. Yet, with almost 20 years in the industry, I still get approached by people who want to use my skills, but not pay for them.

On top of that, where I live, graphic design and photography jobs don’t exactly grow on trees. When people ask what I do for a living, I tell them Graphic Design and Photography. When they ask where I work, it’s a much different answer. Then I tell them I work in retail or the food industry, or in some other common underpaid/minimum wage job. Those jobs are all that’s between me and the bill collectors. To keep my skills sharp (and some degree of honesty in my answers), I freelance in between jobs.

I’ll admit, when I first started freelancing, I made mistakes. I’d donate time, or cut my rates, or offer unlimited revisions. I told myself it was to make my customers happy, but now I can see it was self-doubt holding me back. I knew how much I should be charging, but I couldn’t convince myself my work was worth it. I was content to whore my skills in order to grow my portfolio. I thought I was building a name as a good designer, but in reality I was growing a reputation as a soft touch.

“I decided then and there I was done giving it away. Gone were the freebies, the cut rates, the extracurricular requests at work. Yes, you hired me, but not as a graphic designer. You want what I can do? Pay for it!”

Many of us have heard the old adage, “less is more.” It’s a lesson which can be applied to many facets of our lives: Spices in your cooking? Less is more. Decorating the house? Less is more. Women’s swimwear? Less is definitely more. But what about an education? Would it also be correct to argue that less is more?

I would expect to be branded a heretic for making such an outlandish claim, especially from my own grandparents, who once gave me a $5,000 bribe to go back to university. “How could less education POSSIBLY be more?!” They do have a point. This isn’t “the old country” where you can just forget about school, and go milk sheep for the rest of your life. An education IS important. But please, hear me out. I promise you there is wisdom in my seemingly foolish remark.

The job market is getting ridiculously competitive. You, as the reader already know this. It’s how you found The Underemployed Life. I’m sure many of you have noticed a recurring theme amongst job seekers: you go to university and get an education so you may get a good job, just as your grandparents directed.

“I posted an online advertisement, and was receiving in excess of 50 applications per day. Not only was the sheer volume astounding, but the qualifications of the applicants left me speechless.”

I want you to picture this scenario. You’re job searching and have responded to 1,000+ advertisements. You’ve even managed to score a couple of interviews. Congratulations! On the day of the interview, you make the usual pre-interview preparations: Comb your hair, put on your good shirt (after you iron it of course), and wear your nice shoes. Wait a minute, what job did you apply for again? You’ve applied for so many, you can’t remember which one gave you this interview. Better make sure you don’t prepare for the wronginterview.

You check the advertisement, read up on the company, and mentally prepare yourself for the types of questions you will be asked. Alright. Now we’re ready! You arrive for the interview and throw everything you have into making a killer first impression. You stand straight, smile confidently, give a strong handshake. Everything is going well.

Now the interview proper begins. You answer every question about the job and the industry. You demonstrate to your potential employers you have the skills, qualifications, and relevant experience to get the job done. You impress them with your knowledge of the company, its history, and its practices. You make them laugh. You have them eating out of the palm of your hand. You’re in charge of this interview. Until……they catch you off guard with these questions:

“What do you do in your spare time?” Who cares what I do in my spare time? Work is work. My private life shouldn’t matter to these people. As long as I can get the job done, my “hobbies and interests” (or lack thereof) shouldn’t matter to anyone!”

Underemployment Around the Globe

Underemployment isn't isolated to the United States. It's truly an international problem. India, Canada, Australia, Scotland, The U.K, and the Philippines are just some of the other nations struggling with underemployment on a massive scale.

The reasons for chronic underemployment in the U.S are similar for other countries. High student loan debt, a surplus of low skilled service jobs; too few full time jobs or well paying skilled jobs. Underemployment needs international attention and solutions. With that in mind, we created this section to give international voices a place to be heard. We hope you enjoy what they have to say.

If you like what we do, buying our new book goes a long way towards funding the site. Plus, the book is really funny, and we think you’ll like it.